Well, got home last night from my Pomme Musky trip this weekend...I'll just start from the top.
Got to the lake by 3:30, checked in at our dump of a resort by 4, and was fishing by 4:30. One of the more popular spots, Martin's Flat, was within 200 yards of our dock, so we opted to hit that first. It's basically a big flat that comes up to about 2-3 feet from 40 marked by a bouy. As we pulled up to the bouy, I readied by GoPro as Keith made his first cast. I made my first cast as he made his second, and before I could get two cranks in, he's tied into a fish five minutes into our trip. She made it in the net and we had our first Musky, a healthy 35". Keith took a break to steady his hands as I continued casting, and about five minutes later I had another mid 30s fish to the boat, but she didn't want to eat on the figure 8. Didn't see another fish for the rest of the evening. Talk about high expectations for the rest of the weekend.
Day two started at 5:30. To make a long story short, we bounced around from spot to spot and cove to cove, but didn't see any fish for most of the day. Very high skies, bluebird conditions, and no wind made things very difficult. I did have another short follow during the afternoon, but again, none that wanted to eat. We talked to our resort neighbors around 5:30 at Martin's Flat, who were with a local guide at the time. They didn't really tell us much of anything we weren't already doing, but did decide to make a run to a known productive cove for the evening window. We started at the beginning of Cooper's Cove, and within 15 minutes, Keith is hooked up again. It made one 3 foot jump boatside, and I somehow managed to catch it perfect in the net. I had my GoPro on my head, but unfortunately it wasn't recording at the time. No official measurement, but it was just below 30". Again, about ten minutes later in the same cut of the cove, I set the hook into a fish boatside, but it had only nipped at my bucktail and she was gone.
After a 13 hour grind Saturday, by Sunday I was prepared to be blessed by the Musky gods for my patience. Both mornings we launched with a tournament, some local Wyandotte guys. Didn't get the club name. Couldn't have been a more picture perfect Musky morning with a nice layer of fog covering the water. We made our way to Cooper's Cove where we saw fish the day before. Nothing until mid morning, when I had another low 30s fish follow me all the way to the boat but bailed on the figure 8. The water was so clear I saw her entire body as she turned away back to the wood. Another missed opprtunity, just couldn't get her to eat. The weather was absolutely awful-more high, blue skies and not a stitch of wind whatsoever. And it was d**n hot. Water temp was up 4 degrees since the first day. And my lack of sleep/fish was wearing on me. We took a break at the marina and watched the Royals game for a little bit to try and figure something out. I'm sure Keith was over it, as he'd already boated two Muskys, buit he just really wanted me to hook up before we had to bail. I just wanted a shot at one more fish during the Major/sunset window. Had one follow me about halfway to the boat, but couldn't get her to stick around for the 8. Glad Keith is a good bud and stuck with me, but unfortunately I blanked.
Great trip, but the weather made it so hard. I thought we were hitting it at the perfect time, but the weather took a turn for the warmest, and didn't help at all. Physically and mentally exhausted, but now I'm just ready to plan another mid-October trip for redemption before the season is over. Lots of follows is truly awesome when it comes to Musky fishing, but always leaves me wanting the hook up. That's all that is on my brain today. And my tail is tucked between my legs. However I will be planning another trip within the next 2-3 weeks. I'm sure Clayton did real well at Hazel and I'm anxious to see.
